Friday, April 23, 2010

Public art project: "Match Game" bench still on view in downtown Olympia at 222 Capitol Way N

In 2009, I was one of 5 artists selected to decorate a benchfor the downtown Olympia bench project sponsored by the PBIA (Parking & Business Improvement Area board).

The photo-based design features shots I've taken aroundOlympia over the past 8 years and includes such Oly favorites asthe Artesian Well on 4th, the Farmer's Market, and Capitol Lake.

It's titled the "Match Game" because the photo montage iscomprised of 28 pairs of images mixed-up on the benchso viewers can play a game by finding the matching pairs.Some are easy to find, while others present a bit of a challenge, making it a fun game for all ages.If you haven't had a chance to check it out before,it is installed in front of the scrumptious Bread Peddler,at 222 Capitol Way N - between State and Olympia Aves,and across from the Olympia Community Center.

about the artist...

Hi! My name is Bridget Irish - I'm an artist who lives and works in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to making short films and videos, my art practice includes photography, performance, installation, visual art, music, writing, and creative gardening.

Some of my current projects include photo postcards, creating "experimental films" through knitting and needle-felting on fabric, and building on a series of short videos I refer to as "photo-mations." Most of the videos in this body of work are composed of over a thousand photographs each, shot manually, edited in-camera, and feature an animated panoramic portrait of a city or landscape.

My most recent public art piece is a photo-mural covered city bench in downtown Olympia called "Match Game." The mural consists of 28 different pairs of photos featuring a variety of local sites and subjects, mixed up in the mural so one can match the pairs.

I have screened, performed and lectured at various venues and universities across the nation, such as 911 Media Arts, On the Boards, San Francisco Art Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, San Francisco Cinematheque, UCLA, Tacoma Art Museum, Reed College, Artist's Television Access, William & Mary, Women Make Movies, Tollbooth Gallery, UC San Diego, The Art Institute of Chicago, Saint Martin's University, and have screened internationally in Guyana, Paris, and Australia.

I have curated and juried film and video programs for Ladyfest 2000 (Olympia), Progression Project One Conference (Boise State University), Homo A Go Go, CoCA Seattle, the Olympia Film Festival's CINE-X Series, Shot to the Face, and The Evergreen State College Gallery. I have taught in the areas of new media studies and video and film production at the San Francisco Art Institute, UC Berkeley, The Olympia Film Society, The Evergreen State College, and Seattle University.